MODULE 2: RESULTANT OF ANY FORCE SYSTEM

This aims to give you an overview of the determination of the resultant of any force
systems. The concept of resultant is fundamental in the study of both statics and dynamics.

Recall your learnings from the course EnggPhys: Physics for

Engineers. Answer the following questions by writing your answers
in the space provided.

1. In your own words, define a resultant

2. In your own words, define an equilibrant

3. Three players on a reality TV show are brought to the center of a large, flat field.
Each is given a meter stick, a compass, a calculator, a shovel, and (in a different
order for each contestant) the following three displacements:
𝐴⃗: 72.4 m, 32.0° East of North
⃗⃗: 57.3 m, 36.0° South of West
𝐵
𝐶⃗: 17.8 m due South
The three displacements lead to the point in the field where the keys to a new
Porsche are buried. Two players start measuring immediately, but the winner first
calculates where to go. What does she calculate?

4. For two decades, teams sought a connection between the Flint Ridge cave system
and Mammoth cave in Kentucky. When the connection was finally discovered, the
combined system was declared the world’s largest cave (more than 200 km long).
The team that found the connection had to crawl, climb and squirm through
countless passages, traveling a net 2.6 km westward, 3.9 km southward, and 25 km
upward. What was their displacement from start to finish?

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 Read: Resultants of Force Systems (pp. 24-75)
Singer, Ferdinand, Engineering Mechanics. 3rd ed. New York:
Harper and Row, 1980

RESULTANT OF ANY FORCE SYSTEM

Resultant

Simplest force combination that can replace the original forces without altering the
external effect of the system on the rigid body to which the forces are applied.

The resultant of a force system is defined as the simplest force system that produces
the same external effect on a body as the given force system. The resultant of any force
system can be found by applying the following laws or principles:
A. Parallelogram law
B. Principle of transmissibility
C. Principle of superposition
D. Varignon’s theorem

If a number of forces are acting simultaneously on a particle then it is possible to find out a
single force which could replace them. This single force is called the resultant force.

Methods of solving for the resultant of three or more forces:

1. Graphically
2. Analytically

Resultant of Forces in Two Dimensions

𝑅𝑥 = Σ𝐹𝑥 (summation of all forces along the specified x –

axis)

𝑅𝑦 = Σ𝐹𝑦 summation of all forces along the specified y –

R axis)
𝑅𝑦
The magnitude of the resultant, R = √𝑅𝑥 2 + 𝑅𝑦 2

|𝑅𝑦 |
𝑅𝑥 The direction of the resultant (sense), 𝜃𝑥 = tan−1 |𝑅
𝑥|

The direction or sense of R is determined by the signs of its rectangular components.

The components of forces along coordinate axes may either be directed towards, or away
from, the positive side of the axis. It is necessary to adopt a sign convention for the
components of the forces.

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 To help you understand the topic better, please analyze the
following sample problems:

▪ RESULTANT OF CONCURRENT FORCE SYSTEMS

1. Knowing that the tension in cable BC is 725N, determine the magnitude and the
sense of the resultant of the three forces exerted at
point B of beam AB.

Required: Magnitude, R and direction, θ, of

the resultant force,

Solution:
y

𝑻𝑩𝑪 = 725 N

29
20
21

B
x

13
5
5 4 12
3
780 N
500 N

Force x – component, N y- component, N

500 N 3
− (500) = − 300 −
4
(500) = − 400
5 5
780 N 12
(780) = 720 −
5
(780) = − 300
13 13
725 N −
21
(725) = − 525
20
(725) = 500
29 29
Σ Σ𝑭𝒙 = -105 Σ𝑭𝒚 = - 200

• For 𝑅𝑥 and 𝑅𝑦
𝑅𝑥 = Σ𝐹𝑥 → +
𝑅𝑥 = −105 𝑁
𝑅𝑥 = 105 𝑁 ←

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 𝑅𝑦 = Σ𝐹𝑦 ↑ +
𝑅𝑦 = −200 𝑁
𝑅𝑦 = 200 𝑁 ↓

• For R
𝑅 = √𝑅𝑥 2 + 𝑅𝑦 2

𝑅 = √(105)2 + (200)2
𝑅 = 225.887 𝑁

• For 𝜃
200
𝜃 = tan−1 ( )
105
𝜃 = 62.301°

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝟐𝟐𝟓. 𝟖𝟖𝟕 𝐍 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝟔𝟐. 𝟑𝟎𝟏°

2. For the beam in problem no. 1, a) determine the required tension in cable BC if
the resultant of the three forces exerted at point B is to be vertical and b) the
corresponding magnitude of the resultant.

Required: a) The tension in cable BC, 𝑇𝐵𝐶 , if the resultant is to be vertical

b) Magnitude of the resultant, R
y
Solution: 𝑻𝑩𝑪

29
20
21

B
x

13
5
5 4 12
3
780 N
500 N R

Since the resultant force is vertical, Then 𝑅 = 𝑅𝑦 and 𝑅𝑥 = 0.

a) For 𝑇𝐵𝐶
𝑅𝑥 = Σ𝐹𝑥 → +
12 3 21
0= (780) − (500) − (𝑇 )
13 5 29 𝐵𝐶
𝑻𝑩𝑪 = 𝟓𝟖𝟎 𝑵

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 b) For R
𝑅𝑦 = Σ𝐹𝑦 ↑ +
20 4 5
𝑅= (580) − (500) − (780)
29 5 13
𝑅 = −300 𝑁
𝑹 = 𝟑𝟎𝟎 𝑵 ↓

▪ RESULTANT OF PARALLEL FORCE SYSTEMS

3. Find the values of P and F so that the four forces shown in the figure produce an
upward resultant of 300 lb acting at 4 ft from the left end of the bar.

Required: Magnitude of force P

and F

Solution:
R = 300 lb

4 ft

𝑅𝑦 = Σ𝐹𝑦 ↑ +
300 = −100 + 𝑃 − 𝐹 − 200
𝑃 − 𝐹 = 200
𝑃 = 200 + 𝐹 → ①

𝑀𝐴𝑅 = 𝛴𝑀𝐴 ↻ + (the moment created by the resultant with respect to A is equal to the
summation of the moment of each external force with respect to A, taking clockwise moments
positive)
−300(4) = (−𝑃)(2) + 𝐹 (5) − (200)(7)
−2𝑃 + 5𝐹 = 200 → ②

Substitute equation ① into equation ②

−2(200 + 𝐹 ) + 5𝐹 = 200

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 −400 − 2𝐹 + 5𝐹 = 200
𝑭 = 𝟐𝟎𝟎 𝒍𝒃

Substitute the value of F into equation ①

𝑃 = 200 + 200
𝑷 = 𝟒𝟎𝟎 𝒍𝒃

▪ RESULTANT OF NON - CONCURRENT COPLANAR FORCE SYSTEMS

4. The jib crane shown in the figure is subjected to three coplanar forces. Replace
this loading by an equivalent resultant force and specify where the resultant’s
line of action intersects the column AB and boom BC.

Required: Resultant, R and the location

where the line of action of the resultant
intersects column AB and boom BC

Solution:

• For R
𝑅𝑥 = Σ𝐹𝑥 → +
3
𝑅𝑥 = −175 − (250)
5
𝑅𝑥 = −325 𝑙𝑏
𝑅𝑥 = 325 𝑙𝑏 ←

𝑅𝑦 = Σ𝐹𝑦 ↑ +
4
𝑅𝑦 = −60 − (250)
5
𝑅𝑦 = −260 𝑙𝑏
𝑅𝑦 = 260 𝑙𝑏 ↓

𝑅 = √𝑅𝑥 2 + 𝑅𝑦 2

𝑅 = √(325)2 + (260)2

𝑹 = 𝟒𝟏𝟔. 𝟐𝟎𝟑 𝒍𝒃 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒇𝒕

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 R = 416.203 lb

• For the location of the line of action of the resultant in column AB

(apply the principle of transmissibility at D and redraw the resultant into its
equivalent components - 𝑅𝑥 and 𝑅𝑦 )

y
𝑅𝑥 D

𝑅𝑦

R = 416.203 lb

𝑅𝑦
𝑀𝐵𝑅𝑥 + 𝑀𝐵 = 𝛴𝑀𝐵 ↻ +
4
325(𝑦) + 0 = 175(6) + 60(3) + (250)(8)
5
𝑦 = 8.707 𝑓𝑡

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒏 𝑨𝑩 𝒂𝒕 𝟖. 𝟕𝟎𝟕 𝒇𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝑩

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 • For the location of the line of action of the resultant in boom AB
(apply the principle of transmissibility at E and redraw the resultant into its
equivalent components - 𝑅𝑥 and 𝑅𝑦 )

R = 416.203 lb

𝑅𝑥 E

D 𝑅𝑦

𝑅𝑦
𝑀𝐵𝑅𝑥 + 𝑀𝐵 = 𝛴𝑀𝐵 ↻ +
4
260(𝑥 ) + 0 = 175(6) + 60(3) + (250)(8)
5
𝑦 = 10.885 𝑓𝑡

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒎 𝑩𝑪 𝒂𝒕 𝟏𝟎. 𝟖𝟖𝟓 𝒇𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝑩

The following problems are given to assess your ability to solve for
the resultant of any force system

Instructions: Solve for what is asked in each problem. Refer to the format and guidelines
presented in the Assignment Guide.

1. The resultant of the three forces shown in figure 1 is a horizontal force. Determine (a)
the magnitude of P; (b) the magnitude and sense of the resultant.

2. Determine the resultant moment about point A of the system of forces shown in
figure 2. Each square is 1ft on a side

3. Locate the amount and position of the resultant of the load acting about A. Refer to
figure 3

4. Replace the force and couple moment system acting on the beam in the figure by
an equivalent resultant force, and find where its line of action intersects the beam,

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 measured from point O.

75 lb 150 lb 75 lb

30°

200 lb
125 lb - ft

Figure 1 30°
150 lb
500 kN
Figure 2

250 kN

375 kN

570 kN 570 kN

Figure 3 Figure 4

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